History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 201

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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
ending verse mentions the amount of donations given by a Tirthankara in a year. This section consists of about 178 verses. Before commenting upon its verse Malayagiri Sūri says "aul screnfus.CHT". Can this be construed as suggesting that the Uvagghāyanijjutti really commences henceforth and that Pedhiya is an interpolation? The 1st 3 verses deal with salutations to the Tirthankaras in general, the liberated, Lord Mahāvīra, his 11 Ganadharas, Gandharavamsa, Vacakavamśa and the holy canon. In the following verse the author says that he will compose the Nijjutti of suyanāṇa, and in the subsequent two verses he mentions 10 works of which he intends to compose Nijjuttis. He then commences Sāmāiyanijjutti. There he discusses the relative importance of knowledge and character and deals with upaśamaśreni,1 kṣapakaśreņi,2 nikṣepas of anuyoga, and methods of exposition. This is followed by uddeśa etc., which form 26 entrances of Uvagghāyanijjutti. Then is depicted the life of Lord Mahāvīra wherein incidentally there is mention of 7 Kulakaras and 4 types of niti. The life of Lord Rṣabha, too, is here narrated.
Vuddhavaravariya-This section consists of about 348 verses. On examining the edition of Malayagiri Suri's com., it can be said that verses 243-4603 of the Avassayanijjutti along with v. 33-111 of its Bhāsa make up this section. The latter verses cannot be legitimately looked upon as the pertinent portion. Even then, so far as the contents are concerned, I shall not neglect them. This section commences with the details about the dikṣās of the 24 Tirthankaras. It, too, deals with the life of Lord Rṣabha. It refers to the origin of the Veda (v. 366). It ends by giving some details about the life of Lord Mahāvīra, such as his donation, his renouncing the world and his going to Karmāragrāma.
On a cursory examintion of the contents of this section and the preceding one, I am tempted to believe that only one of them and probably the former rightly constituted the Avassayanijjutti, and that the latter one which is more extensive than the former, is a later product subsequently incorporated therein probably at the time of the Redaction
1-2. These are respectively the subsidential and destructive ladders useful for spiritual advancement.
3. After verse 415 we have vs. 1-17 dealing with the intervals between every two Tirthankaras out of 24. Similarly there are v. 1-4 following v. 418.
4. Herein there are 14 interpolated verses. See D C G C M (vol. XVII, pt. III, p. 394).